Say Yes to the Dress (A Vampire Diaries One-shot)
by CanarySalvatore
Summary: Prequel one-shot to "Save Me A Dance." Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie are at the local bridal shop in Mystic Falls trying on both wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses for the 'big day.' Delena, Klaroline and Benzo mentioned.


_A prequel one-shot to "Save Me A Dance." I came up with this scene idea, with Hopeforfall1's help, after I had already published "Save Me A Dance," so I decided to post it as a one-shot, separately. It takes place two months before the events of Chapter 1._

Caroline and Bonnie were sitting on the couch, waiting for Elena to emerge from the fitting room with the first dress that they had picked out for her. They had tried on bridesmaid dresses first and luckily found them right away. Elena knew exactly what kind of dress she was looking for and what color, navy blue, so it took no time at all to find the perfect one. So now, they were trying to find Elena's wedding dress.

Both Caroline and Bonnie had a glass of champagne in their hand, complements of the bridal shop, as they eagerly awaited Elena's entrance into the room. Elena's glass of champagne was sitting on the side table, where she placed it when she went in to try the first dress.

Caroline was getting impatient that her best friend was taking way too long, "Come on, Elena. What's taking so long?"

Elena responded from inside the fitting room, "I'm having trouble with the buttons on the back of this one."

Bonnie responded, "You want some help?"

Elena began opening the door slightly, "That actually might be a good idea. Yes, please."

Caroline and Bonnie set their glasses on the table next to them and went to help Elena. Both women couldn't help but smile when they saw Elena's dress. It was beautiful.

Caroline kept thinking about everything that they had been through in the past few years and she was eternally grateful that they were finally getting back to semi-normalcy. Which included planning her best friend's wedding to the love of her life.

Elena said to her best friends, "Caroline, would you grab the bottom buttons while Bonnie gets the top?"

Caroline smiled back and began to fix the buttons, "Sure thing."

Bonnie laughing as she started working on her half of the buttons, "Damn, this a lot of buttons on one dress."

Elena placing her hands on her hips, smoothing out the front of the dress, "I know. That's one thing I definitely don't like about this one."

Caroline finishing her set before Bonnie, "Ugh, I know. You definitely want a wedding dress that's comfortable. And easy to get out of. Especially on the wedding night." She looked up at Elena, smiling because she loved teasing her, especially when it came to Damon.

Bonnie began laughing harder, which made it harder her for her to finish buttoning, "Yeah, Damon would definitely hate this dress."

Elena was giggling too, "Oh my god, he'd probably want to rip it off, instead of dealing with all the buttons. Wouldn't he?"

This comment made all the women burst out laughing, as they thought of how impatient Damon could be. And Caroline simply responded, "Yeah, probably."

After Caroline finished up Bonnie's buttons thanks to her quicker, vampire reflexes, Elena stepped in front of the three-way mirrors to look at the dress better.

All three women were admiring the dress and Elena was the first one to speak up, "I like it. But I'm not, _in love_ with it."

Both Caroline and Bonnie nodded in agreement as Caroline responded, "I agree. Besides, buttons are definitely not the way to go. Especially with Damon and his impatience. I suggest you get something with a zipper."

Bonnie laughing again and adding, "Or maybe one with just one or two buttons."

Elena smiling at her best friends' advice, "Yeah. Okay. On to the next one." As she went back into the dressing room, she grabbed the next dress to try on.

Caroline was waiting for Elena to say she needed help again with the buttons because she knew Elena was too worried about trying on the next dress that she forgot about the one she was currently wearing.

Elena then came back out of the room to find Caroline standing right next to it, waiting to help. "Yeah, almost forgot about the damn buttons."

Caroline laughing again, "I figured. Here, let me take care of it."

Bonnie took another sip of champagne and blurted out, "How could you forget about them? We literally were just complaining about them."

Elena started laughing too, "I don't even know. This wedding stuff can get so complicated, it's literally taking over my mind."

Caroline finished with the buttons and turned to face Elena, "Elena, I told you I'd take care of all the arrangements for you. That's what maid of honors are for. Well," Pausing to correct herself. "Co-maid of honors. Me and Bonnie will handle everything. All you need to do, is show up."

Elena smiling at her two best friends, "Well, I still want to help. But that means a lot."

She goes over and pulls both of them into a hug, "You guys are the best. What did I do to deserve such wonderful friends?"

Bonnie pulled away and teased, "Well, we are pretty fantastic."

All three women start laughing again, when the store owner walks over to them to see how everything is going. "How are you ladies doing? Do you need anything?"

Caroline is the one who responds, "We're doing fine Jennifer, thank you. But we weren't really fond of this dress. Too many buttons. Could you maybe help find us something more, modern perhaps?"

Elena adds, "But I loved the lacework at the top of the dress and all along the train."

The store owner, Jennifer, thinks a minute and then responds to them, "You know what? I think I might have a few options that might work. Let me go find them while you try on the other dress we picked out before."

Elena smiling at the owner, "Thank you so much."

Jennifer looks back at her, "No problem, dear. You want to find the perfect dress that you love. I know that before I got married, I tried on several dresses before I found "the one." Just give it time. But I'll do my best to help you find yours."

The store owner took off to the other end of the store, looking through all the racks of dresses she passed.

Elena then went back into the fitting room to get her current dress off and try the next one on. As she was doing so, Caroline and Bonnie set back down on the couch and resumed sipping the champagne, quietly chattering about wedding details.

As Elena was changing, she called out to her co-maid of honors from within the fitting room, "So, where do you think Damon is going to take me for my honeymoon?"

Both Caroline and Bonnie thought a minute before Bonnie responded, "I'm not sure. Hopefully, somewhere romantic."

Caroline took another sip of champagne before clarifying, "So he's planning the whole thing?"

Elena continued to switch dresses as she called out again, "Yeah, he told me he'd take care of everything. He wants it to be a complete surprise."

Bonnie giggling, "Awww... You know, he can be a romantic when he wants to be. Just like Enzo."

Caroline teasing the women and laughing, "Oh gag me." She loved teasing her best friends about their love lives. Mostly because it kept her from thinking about hers. She continued, "Did you give him any suggestions? Of where you might want to go?"

Elena thinking as she gets the first dress off, "Uhhh.. yeah. I mentioned that I'd love to visit Paris. And, that Hawaii in the fall would be nice. But other than that, I've left it up to him."

Caroline smiling, "Well, at least you've given him some ideas to work with. But with Damon, who knows. But I'm sure it'll be great."

Elena then decides to ask, as she starts putting on the second dress "So Caroline, have you decided on your date for the wedding?"

Bonnie starts giggling because Elena and her talk regularly about Caroline's love life. Or lack thereof. "Yeah, you gonna invite Klaus?" The women love mentioning Klaus because they know about Caroline's not-so-secret crush on the troublesome Mikaelson.

Caroline starts blushing as she tries to change the subject, "Oh, come on. We can't have one discussion without bringing up Klaus?"

Elena laughing from within the fitting room, "Nope."

Caroline still blushing and obviously deflecting, "You guys are so childish."

Both Bonnie and Elena stop laughing as they try to get serious. Elena responds, "Come on, Care. We only tease you because we want you to be happy."

Caroline trying to convince her best friends, and herself, "I am happy. I have the girls. And now, the school. I'm fine."

Bonnie places her hand on Caroline's, no longer teasing her, "We know that. But, don't you want more? I mean, we can always tell how your face lights up everytime someone mentions Klaus." Pausing and looking at Caroline's face. "Like now. But seriously. We just want you to be happy."

Caroline repeating herself to reassure them, "Really guys, I'm fine. I'm happy. I mean, I'm helping my best friend plan her wedding to the love of her life. What's more happy than that?"

Bonnie smiling back at Caroline and deciding to change the subject, for now, "Yeah, okay."

Elena opens the fitting room as she finishes fixing the second dress. As she walks out of the room, towards the mirrors she asks, "So what do you guys think of this one?"

Caroline and Bonnie both stand up and start looking at the entire dress, from all angles, trying to decide whether this one is the right one. Bonnie is the first to speak, "Well, what do you think? It's your dress after all."

Elena takes a moment to look at the dress fully before responding, "Well, I definitely like this one better than the last one. The zipper is so much better than the buttons. This one has lace but I'm not sure about the waist. But it's definitely on the list of possibilities."

Caroline goes to fix the back of the dress because it has bunched up, "Yeah, it's not bad. But like Jennifer said. You want to love it."

Elena agreeing, "Okay. Maybe she'll have something I'll like better."

As Elena goes back into the fitting room, Jennifer returns with several dresses across her arm. "Okay, we have several options here. But.." She pulls out one particular dress from the bottom of the pile, "I suggest she try this one first."

Caroline grabs the dresses from Jennifer, "Thank you again for all your help." She then hands the dress the owner suggested to Bonnie. "Here, hand this one to Elena."

Elena hears the conversation and opens the door, holding out her hand for the dress. "Thanks guys."

Jennifer, Bonnie and Caroline begin conversing about the wedding as Elena puts on the dress.

After a few minutes, Elena unlocks the door to show her friends the dress. "Okay guys, how 'bout this one?"

Once Elena opens the door, all three women are in shock at how beautiful Elena looks. Especially in that particular dress. Both Caroline and Bonnie start to tear up slightly as Bonnie squeaks out, "It's perfect."

Elena walks in front of the mirror and begins tearing up as well. She loves it. Everything about the dress fits perfectly. It has the right amount of lacework across the top and along the train. "I love it. I kinda feel like a princess in it."

Caroline coming up behind Elena to see how it looks from her angle, "You look like one too, Mrs. Elena Salvatore." Caroline can't help but smile as she teases Elena.

Elena tears up more as she says, "Oh my god you guys, it's suddenly became so real." Pausing to look at her best friends. "I'm getting married."

Bonnie and Caroline both embrace Elena in a hug as the women are so excited that they found ' _the'_ dress.

Jennifer smiling at the women's excitement, "Would you like me to get the matching veil?"

Elena pulls away from the hug to respond, "Yes, please."

Jennifer smiles before responding, "Okay, I'll be right back." Before she gets out of the girls earshot, she semi-whispers to herself, even though the women can still hear her, "I knew that would be the one." She smiles to herself, proud that she help make a bride-to-be's wedding dress dream come true.

Both Bonnie and Caroline pull away from Elena because they're still tearing up from the happiness they feel over the wedding and they don't want to ruin the dress.

Caroline then looks at Elena, laughing, "You might want to wear waterproof mascara on your wedding day."

Elena's makeup had run slightly from her tears. "Yeah, I had already planned on that. I probably should have worn some today." The women laughed at her last comment.

Jennifer came back with the veil and went up to Elena, "Here, let me help you with it."

She positions the veil on Elena's head and it completes the ensemble perfectly.

Elena still smiling, "I love it. Everything's perfect."

Jennifer going behind the counter of her desk, pulling out a bell. "Would you like to 'say yes to this dress'?"

Elena looks back at Bonnie and Caroline beaming and nods her head as she grabs the bell and rings it. "Yes."

All of the women are so excited as they continue talking about the wedding. Only eight months to go. :)

 _ **R & R are always appreciated. I really had fun writing this one because it gets me excited to help plan my best friend's wedding soon. :)**_


End file.
